Electricity supplied from Nissan LEAF lithium-ion batteries can power an average Japanese household for two days

Nissan today unveiled a system which enables electricity to be supplied from the lithium-ion batteries installed in Nissan LEAF to ordinary households, as part of its comprehensive efforts toward the realization of a zero-emission society. The new system was unveiled at ‘Kan-kan-kyo’, a house built in front of the Nissan Global Headquarters by Sekisui House Ltd. With this system, Nissan LEAF can be used as an electricity storage device for houses in preparation for power outages and/or shortages. The lithium-ion batteries can store up to 24kWh of electricity, sufficient to power an average Japanese household for about two days. This system can not only supply electricity from the vehicle but also charge it to the vehicle. Current Nissan LEAF owners will also be able to use this system.

Through this system, electricity stored in Nissan LEAF can be supplied to a house by connecting the car to the house's electricity distribution panel using a connector linked to the LEAF's quick charging port. Nissan believes this system will allow households to be supplied with a stable amount of electricity throughout the day and reduce the burden on the current power supply by charging and storing electricity in Nissan LEAF with electricity generated at night or through sustainable methods such as solar power, and using it during high demand periods.

Via - [Fareastgizmos]

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War Texting' can let hackers unlock your car through SMS

Just a couple of days back we learnt that Apple’s new battery technology can allow hackers to make laptops explode, thus highlighting how certain unnoticed glitches in technology can prove to be perilous. Today, there is yet another instance with cellular-based automotive roadside assistance services like GM's OnStar and BMW Assist which can be used to remotely unlock cars. Some engineers have worked on means that can let them crack this technology and unlock cars through just SMS and their calling it “War Texting.”

Don Bailey and Mathew Solnik of security company iSEC Partners came up with the demonstration wherein they set up their ad-hoc GSM network and communicated with the in-car system, posing as authorized servers because the proprietary protocol used was not secure enough to keep them at bay. And they accomplished the task of unlocking the car by simply send a message from a laptop to the car’s computer. They’ll be showcasing their findings at the upcoming Black Hat USA conference in Las Vegas.

[Gizmag]

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